


do you feel empty?

by Skullszeyes



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Best Friends, Brainwashing, Crying, Final Fantasy XV - Freeform, Forced Fighting, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild MT!Prompto, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-03-22
Packaged: 2018-10-09 05:12:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10404702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skullszeyes/pseuds/Skullszeyes
Summary: Prompto is left in Lestallum while Noctis, Gladiolus and Ignis take Iris and Talcott to Caem. He wanders around for abit until Ardyn finds him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea after Jarod Hester died and they were taking Iris to Caem. Before that, she went and said she was taking Talcott to Caem. Except it was just her, and Talcott ended up at Caem anyway. So I thought that was weird, and added a scenario in which Prompto was left behind to chill in Lestallum. I also liked the idea if some of the MT's have activation words if one of them goes rogue, like in a kind of brainwashing/indoctrination way. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy. :)

“You don’t mind, do you?” Noctis asked Prompto, they stood at the gas station in Lestallum. Iris was helping Talcott into the back seat where her brother was sitting. Ignis stood beside the gas pump.

Prompto shrugged, he wouldn’t say that he was. If he became a bother, it would annoy Noctis and the others. “I’ll be fine for the night.”

Noctis nodded, looking uneasy. “We’d bring you with us, you know.”

“I know,” Prompto said. Except there wasn’t any room for him and in this situation, Prompto wasn’t essential to go along when they were simply driving Iris and Talcott to Caem. Ignis was the driver, Noctis is a prince, and Gladiolus is Iris’s older brother, Talcott took the last seat in the Regalia. Where did Prompto fit in? He didn’t, so he accepted it.

“We’ll be back in the morning, so stay at the Leville until then, okay.” Noctis gave him a smile as he headed around the car to the passenger seat.

Prompto stepped back, “Yeah. I’ll be fine, go sightseeing, take some pictures of the locales. Do my own thing.” He convinced himself of this, but as he watched his friends fade into the distance, his smile fell into a frown. He turned and walked around for the next several hours, he took out his camera and snapped some pictures of anything that caught his eye. By the time it was dusk, Prompto was sitting on a bench, eating a cup of noodles and gazing at Disc of Cauthess in the distance, it glowed a luminous blue.

“Have they left you all on your lonesome?” Ardyn appeared, walking past Prompto.

“W-What are you doing here?” he asked, dropping his noodles as he stood, materializing his gun to his hand.

Ardyn grinned, looking at the Disc of Cauthess. “Sight seeing,” he replied. “What are you doing?”

“None of your business,” Prompto said, ignoring the gnawing fear in his chest.

“Where’s your Prince, he didn’t leave you all alone, did he?” Ardyn asked, leaning against the railing, brow arched.

Prompto gritted his teeth. He didn’t like that he was alone with the imperial chancellor. Before he could say anything, Ardyn stepped forward, grasping his wrist and transported him in a field.

Prompto stumbled back, falling on the cold grass. The Disc of Cauthess was closer, he turned his head where Lestallum was, several miles from where he was now. Shuddering, Prompto scrambled to his feet and moved away from Ardyn who didn’t look in anyway fazed.

“What do you want?” he asked.

Ardyn narrowed his gaze at Prompto. “I noticed something...the last time we were together. You fought gallantly against the MT Troopers, didn’t even bother to blink an eye when you took each of them down.”

Prompto wasn’t sure where Ardyn was going with this. He fought many MT Troopers since he left Insomnia with Noctis, Gladiolus and Ignis. It wasn’t anything new, but there was something that bothered Prompto. From the way Ardyn was grinning, a malicious look that made Prompto sick to his stomach.

_He knows._

Rooted to the ground, Prompto curled his fingers into fists at his sides, hoping he wasn’t betraying a part of him that wanted to bury a past he didn’t want to confront. Not like this anyway.

“A peculiar mark, tattooed in most of the specimen’s wrists at birth. To ID them,” Ardyn said, stepping toward him with a slow movement, chin raised. “You know what I’m talking about. It’s uncanny—” Ardyn reached for him and Prompto was too slow to move back, he was dragged forward, Ardyn’s fingers dug into his hand, twisting his wrist, "—to your own.”

It sat under his wristbands. Prompto made sure over the years that no one would see it, so no one would question what it was. He had no answer at first, but over time after he left the Insomnian borders and found the mark staring up at him on one of the dead MT Troopers, steel glove ripped off to reveal what was underneath.

His mouth had gone dry, answers pulled taut inside his head, yet he denied it over and over again. With each push on the trigger, bullets slamming into MT’s, he grew hesitant yet angry. He couldn’t be one of them, not Niflheim, not an MT Trooper. Soon those little denials began to wither away as days gone by.

Ardyn seemed to notice it, and bided his time until now to reveal the truth of what Prompto tried his best to ignore.

Ardyn kept his hold on Prompto’s wrist, gaze steady. “Did you know the specimens were given words to simplify their constructs. Indoctrinated if in case one decided to go rogue.”

Prompto froze, his heart was chaos inside his chest, thrumming through his body. Panic rose with his fear, he tugged harder. “Let go, let go!” He wouldn’t lose himself if that was what Ardyn hoped would happen.

“Oh, Prompto, who would’ve guessed you’d be in the company of the prince of Lucis. A fortunate outcome of your escape from the facility,” Ardyn chuckled. “Do you wish to stay with your prince after what you’ll eventually do to him?”

“No, please, don’t... I don’t want to hurt Noctis,” Prompto pleaded.

The sun set behind them as Ardyn grasped Prompto’s free wrist and leaned close. “Tell me, Prompto, do you feel empty?”

Prompto closed his eyes, breathing hard. “I..don’t..want to hurt...Noct—”

Ardyn turned his head to the side and let go of his wrists. Prompto straightened, standing tall. He wore a deadpan expression, his eyes betrayed no emotion, he simply stared ahead and not directly at Ardyn who grinned at him.

“What an interesting turn of events, give me your phone.” Prompto reached into his pocket and took his phone out, passing it to Ardyn. “Wonderful,” he said, dialing Noctis’s number. “Let’s see how your darling prince will react once he finds out I have you.”

Prompto stared at him and said nothing. The wind brushed against his blonde hair as Ardyn turned away, walking several feet before stopping, his voice picked up in a friendly tone once Noctis had answered.

“Guess who I have..”

Prompto’s fingers twitched, a lone tear hidden by the darkness surrounding them slipped down his face unnoticed.

Several hours passed and the light of the morning sun rose in the distance, covering everything with slits of warm light. Prompto is still standing in the field, monsters torn to shreds by Ardyn, a few seeped back into the darkness.

“Your prince is here, Prompto,” Ardyn said, grinning at the sight of the Regalia not to far away, a shimmer of light cuts through the open field, past monsters and the pond. Noctis is sprinting fast, dark hair pushed back, panting heavy. “From the mark, he’s not really your prince is he? Or have you not come to terms with where you’re from?”

Prompto said nothing, he wasn’t even looking at Noctis, but over Ardyn’s shoulder at the Disc of Cauthess. It’s all he’s been looking at, his mind empty of thought and emotion. Body numb and heavy, eyes burning from a lack of sleep, his stomach hurts.

Ardyn grabbed his shoulder and twisted him around. He can see Noctis slowing down, heavy out breaths, there’s a slight limp to his jog, and his gaze is intense and focused on Prompto who can’t seem to do anything and isn’t sure what he’s supposed to do.

“Prompto,” he yelled, voice echoing around them.

Ardyn chuckled, squeezing Prompto’s shoulder. “Come now, Noctis, he’s right here, been waiting for you all night.” Prompto grinds his teeth, subtle enough that Ardyn doesn’t notice his jaw clenching.

“Let him go.”

“I’m not holding him hostage, or anything, am I, Prompto?” Ardyn asked, hand slipping from his shoulder as he took a step forward. “Now I’ll be off, wouldn’t want to get between you two.” With that, in a flash of light, Ardyn was gone and in its place was Prompto who had raised his arm, gun in hand and fired.

Noctis moved quick, his eyes wide in shock as he warped to the left, Engine Blade in hand. “Prompto?”

He didn’t respond, instead he fired again, and again, watching the prince dodge each bullet and deflecting one with the side of his sword. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, his body moved on instinct, callous with each shot, he knew something was wrong but he couldn’t place his finger on what. Why was this wrong?

“Prompto!” Noctis yelled, deflecting another bullet before warping closer, raising his blade and slashing the gun out of Prompto’s hand.

Prompto grunted, pulling his arm back, fingers tight into a fist and swung at Noctis. The prince grunted in pain, but when he spun back, Prompto had his gun in his hand. He warped quick to dodge the bullet as Prompto straightened, gun pointed at him as he began to walk toward him. He didn’t hesitate as he pulled the trigger, following Noctis each time he warped.

He didn’t notice that Noctis had dropped his sword, warped once more and slammed into Prompto. They toppled to the ground, Noctis on top, grasping the gun and throwing it before pinning him down by his wrists.

“Prompto,” Noctis yelled, panting low, “stop, stop, please, just stop!”

He fought, trying his best to shove the prince off of him. Again his body was doing everything on its own, pain slashed into his heart, trying to remind him of something, but he wasn't sure what it was.

“It’s me, Prompto, it’s me.. Noctis Lucis Caelum, you’re best friend,” Noctis yelled, a sob ripping through his voice as tears built to the rim of his eyes. “Stop, it’s me, Prompto.”

Prompto blinked, he felt the tear drop on his cheek, inhaling, the pain deepened into his chest. He recalled something, flashes of images rushing through his mind. It was there, photo’s of them together, over and over again. Reminders of their journey through Lucis, late night campfires, fighting daemons, hunting down deities in the hope of one day returning home to Insomnia, with his prince, his friends.

_Prompto, do you feel empty?_

He breathed in, fingers curling, he wrenched one wrist from Noctis’s hold and slammed it into Noctis’s face. Shoving him off before rolling back and grasping his discarded gun. When he stood, gun in hand, pointed directly at Noctis who was now standing with his blade.

Noctis wore a pained expression, a tear rolled down the side of his face. “Please, don’t do this, Prompto, it’s me.. Your best friend.”

Prompto sniffled, without warning there were tears streaking down his face, but he didn’t understand why, it was hazy yet it was also clear. His hand shook, he gripped the gun, straightening as he began to walk toward Noctis.

“K-Kill….me….”

Noctis’s brows knitted together, “What”

“P-please.. I don’t want..to..kill you..” Prompto begged, Ardyn’s smile flashed inside his head, followed by a barrage of memories and the secret on his wrist. He knew it was vulnerability, a risk on his friends that if Ardyn got close and said the words that shoved everything he knew from his head, he’d be a liability, there would be no choice but to leave  him behind so he wouldn’t hurt the crown prince of Lucis.

Noctis shook his head, “I’m not killing you, Prompto.” He warped again, and Prompto did not move as his friend appeared, blade raised over his head before coming down.

Prompto groaned as he was slammed to the ground, two pieces of his gun clattered to the side in separate directions. “T-That hurt..” he muttered.

Noctis panted, wiping away his tears. “Are you okay?”

Prompto nodded, taking deep breaths. “Kind of..”

“You’re not going..too?”

His mind was no longer cloudy, Ardyn’s words were simple, yet they faded away from any type of control they had over him. “I’m hungry.. But no.. I don’t think I’m going to attack you.”

Noctis sighed, relaxing his shoulders and dropping the blade, letting it fade. He fell to knees and sat down on the grass with Prompto. “Sorry for your gun.”

Prompto arched a brow, he couldn’t help laughing, even though he could still feel the terror inside him. It was hidden well, away from the realization that Noctis was his friend. “I can get a new one.. I can’t replace you though.”

Noctis smiled, “Yeah. Same goes for you.”

Prompto nodded, he looked down at his wrist where the mark was and hesitated for just a second before covering it up with his bracelets. “I’m sorry, Noctis, I had no control over—”

“—It was Ardyn,” Noctis said, “whatever magic he has, it made you attack me.”

Prompto clenched his teeth, “Yeah… his magic.”

Noctis looked up and Prompto followed his gaze where they could see Gladiolus and Ignis running toward them, waving their hands.

“Surprised you left them behind.”

“They weren’t awake when I left, I asked Iris to update them once she eventually woke them up. I couldn’t just leave you in Ardyn’s hands.”

Prompto smiled, he was tired, hungry, and sick from staying up all night in one spot, but there was one thing he couldn’t stop thinking about that frightened him. “I hope it doesn’t happen again.”

“It won’t,” Noctis told him, raising to his feet and offering his hand to him. “I’ll make sure you don’t end up brainwashed by Ardyn again.”

He didn’t have the courage to tell Noctis of what actually happened, the fear of his friends knowing about it was too ingrained. The fear of attacking them without knowing who they are while under the conditioning paralyzed him inside.

Prompto took Noctis’s hand and stood, “If I do, I’ll wait for you, prince charming.”

Noctis snickered. “Let’s not expect it happening.”

_You won’t, but I will. I won’t kill you, none of you. If it comes to that...._

Noctis didn’t see Prompto wiping a tear from his cheek, he forced on a smile and waved at Gladiolus and Ignis who had finally ran across the field to them.

In the distance stood Ardyn, smiling. “Looks like I’ll have to try again, maybe in a different situation.”


End file.
